By Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand's military seized power last year with a promise to eventually restore democracy. On Sunday, a student was taken from hospital by plainclothes agents and charged with defaming Thailand's widely revered royalty. On Monday, it emerged that a factory worker was charged with sedition and mocking King Bhumibol Adulyadej's dog.
Read moreBy Aukkarapon Niyomyat and Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thai activists on Monday demanded the release of a man arrested for sharing an infographic on Facebook detailing alleged graft in an army-built park, saying plainclothes security officers took him by force. Since taking power in a military coup in May 2014, Thailand’s ruling junta has issued directives that have largely stifled dissent, including barring political discussions and debate. On Sunday, a 25-year-old student, Thanet Anantawong, was taken from a hospital while he awaited an operation, said prominent anti-junta activist, Siriwat Serithiwat.
Read moreThousands took to social media on Monday to remember the children and teachers who were killed in a mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, three years ago, many of them decrying the lack of new gun control laws. Top trending hashtags included #SandyHook, #ProtectOurKids and #StopGunViolence. Twitter user Mark Bland (@markbland) wrote: “Not a single gun control measure has been attempted or passed since #Newtown #SandyHook.
Read moreBy Andrew Chung NEW YORK (Reuters) – Samsung took to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday in a last-ditch effort to pare back the more than $548 million in damages it must pay Apple for infringing the patents and designs of the iPhone
Read moreBy Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – A proposal by Thailand's junta for a single Internet gateway to allow authorities to monitor content would destroy competition and was reminiscent of the most authoritarian measures to stifle free speech, a former information minister said on Thursday. The plan to create a single gateway for all Internet traffic was approved by the military government in August but details remain unclear. “Once it becomes a single gateway there will be a problem with traffic speeds,” said Anudith Nakornthap, a former information minister under the government of ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra
Read moreBy Amy Sawitta Lefevre BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand expressed concern on Monday at a wave of anti-migrant vitriol on social media, which the government said underlined why it cannot accept any more of the asylum seekers who have been arriving by boat on its shores.
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